San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-26
FROM LOUISIANA.
Warm and Lively In the Democratic
Camp--The Strike--25 Negroes
KilIed--Communistic ARi-
tators.

| Camp--The StTike--25 Negroes
Killed--Communistic ARi-
tators.
NEw ORLEANS. La, Nov. "a, 1887.
Editor LIGHT:
There is now going on In the demo.
cratic party OF Louisiana, the fiercest
ard bltterest fight ever witnessed since
| the days OF the soft and hardshell demo-
Gratis in New York. S. d. MoEnery,
| present governor, Is the nominal head OF
one of these factions, and ex-Goy. r. T.
| Nichols is the head of the other. Sell
atOr Eustis sides with the former, while
Senator Gibson sides with the latter.
| Both factions have ''let slip the
| dogs of war" In the shape Of orators of
| ali oalibres, and have talked at and to
the people for the past month. B. +.
| Jonas, collector Of the port, has quit bis
| post of duty In the custom house, grded
| up his lOins, ard sailed forth into the
rural parishes 10 make speeches for Nc
| Every and for himself, also, as me wants
| 10 get back into the United States sem
| o'c-a more shameful and fragrant viO-
| lafion of civil service reform was never
committed; but the talk Is, that Jonas
was such strong advocate OF Cleveland
| In the Chicago convention, that the
| president will let him do just as he
| pieases.
You must know, that political cOrrup-
| tIOn Ia rampant in Louisiana. Rings and
| cliques rule the roast. There has not
| been q fair and honest election for
| ten years. The negro vote is
| stiflled and smOthered either by
| fraud or intimidation. Senator Eusts
| voiced the sentiment of the democrats
| when he said in q recent speech that
negroes could live in peace and pros
| perity under government run by white
men, but that the white race could not
| exist under q government that WAS run
| by negroes" Had the negroes RETAINED
| from thrusting themselves forward for
| public offices for which they were utter
| ly unfit aud voted for honest ard inteIli-
gent white men, they would have Jared
much better. but Ii looks bad to see ig-
norant negroes holding public offices TO
the exclusion of educated and cOmpe-
tent white men.
The fight between these democratic
factions Is not with foils, but with
swords. The law gives the governor
the appointment Of about $40 state and
parish officers, and as Gov. McEnery
has already been in the office seven and
a half years. he 10 now surrounded by a
body guard of office holders whose
bread and meat depend on his continu-
ance In office. AS In a majority Of the
parishes, the negro vote prepOnderated,
the selection of nearly all the parish off,
GERS was withdrawn from the
people and the appointment of
them lodged In the governor, and
the result of this thing is that
an oligarchy governs the state. The
NichOlPs democrats are for reforming
these abuses and putting an end to ring
rnI.l hnt tho GhnnhIaD hny
votes enough to secure u majority in the
state convention and thus prolOng their
lease of power.
The business and trade of New Or
leans has been exceptionally lively and
good this season, and her merchants
feel much encouraged.
The sugar crop has turned out well,
and will not be cut short by the strike
of the hands on some sugar plantations.
There WAS q collision between the
whites and the negroes yesterday at
Thebedeaux, lin which twenty-five Mt
groes were killed, and no whites. The
whites attacked the negroes because
two guards (white men) had b en- fired
upon and wounded by negro strikers. 1t
is q rehearsal of the old Dald-headed
chestnut that has done duty for twenty
years, the negroes commenced a muir
derOus attack on the whites; but when
the smoke rolled away from the field of
battle, it turned out that the negroes
alone got killed. These conflicts be-
tween the races are inevitable; and my
opinion has long been that u separation
of the races was the proper solution Of
the matter. AS far back "a
1881, Thomas Jefferson declared that
emancipation was merely a question of
time-it was bound to come, bur that the
whites and the negroes could not live In
peace and friendship, when both we're
free; and that has been my opinion. The
whites are unwilling TO give up negro
lsbor-the only labor they are accus-
toned to, and the negroes manifest con-
siderable repugnance to separating
from the whites-yet time will show
that the separation of the races would
have been conducive to the welfare OF
both races. The cars brought to
this city crowds OF women and children
who were fleeing in fear from Thibe-
deaux, while the whites had Civ
notice to the negro strikers and their
white sympathisers TO leave the town OF
Thtbedeaux within "A hours, which oCoa-
stoned wholesale exodus. As most Of
the white men thus driven out, are
Knights of Labor, ii is not unlikely that
the Knights OF Labor dCnOunCe the kill
ing of the % negroes. Assembly l02, of
this city, n fortnight ago, condemned
Gov. McEnery for sending state troops
into the parishes where strikes had Oc-
CURED, for the purpose of putting down
the strikers, and the publication of their
pronunciamentO has aroused the wrath
OF the McEuery democrats, and caused
them to denounce Assembly l02 as COM
munists.
The conflict at ThebedeauX is at
tributed to the agitatOrs and cOmmu-
nlsts in this city. HARRY BALFOR.